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The Figure in Clay Workshop (In-Person)
with Colleen O'Donnell

Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Instructor: Colleen O'Donnell
Weekend Workshop
Credit: Non-Credit Only
Register by April 21 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDSUMMER2025 at checkout (and click “+” to add the discount). PAFA members at the Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. (Discount applies to CE regular adult Summer Session 1 and 2 classes and workshops only. Summer Studio/Critique Program or other studio rental programs, certificate registration, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.)
Learn the techniques and tools of figure sculpture through demonstration and hands-on sculpting from the model. Explore anatomy, proportion, gesture, and design through the versatility of clay. Personal expression will be emphasized thoughrepresentational and abstract approaches. Open to all levels and perfect for beginners.Tuition includes a $35 models fee.
Register by: June 20
Materials List
Summer CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
Fast and Unfussed Figure Painting (In-Person)
with Roger Chavez

Mondays, 1 – 4 p.m.
Instructor: Roger Chavez
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit Only
Register by April 21 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDSUMMER2025 at checkout (and click “+” to add the discount). PAFA members at the Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. (Discount applies to CE regular adult Summer Session 1 and 2 classes and workshops only. Summer Studio/Critique Program or other studio rental programs, certificate registration, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.)
Energize and open up your approach to figure painting through rapid, loose oil painting studies from the life model. Learn tactics to avoid the tendency toward tightness and over-attention to detail too early in the process that can lead to work that lacks liveliness in gesture or mark and is difficult to adjust or correct. Through short, small-scale painting exercises from the model in one-day poses, learn new ways of approaching life painting with an emphasis on keeping compositions fluid, capturing the gesture and character of the subject before getting locked into its contours, and both initiating and retaining a sense of freshness in your color and brushstrokes. Instruction will address color mixing, painting materials and methodologies, and the importance of cultivating sustainable methods for growth in your painting practice. Note: Tuition includes a $35 models fee.
Register by: July 3
Materials List
Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
The Landscape Oil Sketch (Outdoor)
with Roger Chavez

Tuesdays, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Instructor: Roger Chavez
Five-Week Short Course (20 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit Only
Includes Rain Date: August 5
Register by April 21 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDSUMMER2025 at checkout (and click “+” to add the discount). PAFA members at the Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. (Discount applies to CE regular adult Summer Session 1 and 2 classes and workshops only. Summer Studio/Critique Program or other studio rental programs, certificate registration, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.)
The oil sketch is a traditional way for painters to execute preparatory ideas and quickly capture initial impressions – perfect for plein air painting! Learn useful techniques for rapidly encapsulating color and form while working directly from observation. Locations with shade and restrooms include Bartram’s Garden along the Schuylkill River and the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum, near Philadelphia International Airport. Note: Students are responsible for their own transportation to painting locations.
Register by: June 24
Materials List
Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
Observational Drawing Practices (In-Person)
with John Horn

Tuesdays, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Instructor: John Horn
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit Only
Register by April 21 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDSUMMER2025 at checkout (and click “+” to add the discount). PAFA members at the Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. (Discount applies to CE regular adult Summer Session 1 and 2 classes and workshops only. Summer Studio/Critique Program or other studio rental programs, certificate registration, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.)
Strengthen and hone your foundational drawing skills through a series of one- and two-day projects. Topics of concern will be design, structure of space, perspective, and light and shade. Subjects will include interior space, single objects and still life arrangements, and the life model. All levels from beginner to advanced are welcome. Tuition includes a $15 models fee.
Register by: July 1
Materials List
Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
Letterpress Printmaking (In-Person)
with Rosae Reeder

Tuesdays, 6 – 9 p.m.
Instructor: Rosae Reeder
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit Only
Register by April 21 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDSUMMER2025 at checkout (and click “+” to add the discount). PAFA members at the Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. (Discount applies to CE regular adult Summer Session 1 and 2 classes and workshops only. Summer Studio/Critique Program or other studio rental programs, certificate registration, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.)
Letterpress, also known as moveable type, is the process of printing with moveable components of either wood or lead type. Today, letterpress printing has become fashionable, used to print wedding invitations, business cards, and anything with that traditional vintage look. In this six-week course, students will learn the process of setting both wood and lead type and printing on a Vandercook letterpress. Instruction will also explore letterpress as a wonderful tool for printing images in edition through the creation of pressure prints. Printing of relief blocks, registration, layout, paper size, and color will also be discussed. This class is open to beginners and advanced artists.Tuition includes a $30 lab fee.
Register by: July 1
Materials List
Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
Watercolor: The Color-Focused Still Life (In-Person)
with Keith Leitner

Tuesdays, 6 – 9 p.m.
Instructor: Keith Leitner
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit Only
Register by April 21 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDSUMMER2025 at checkout (and click “+” to add the discount). PAFA members at the Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. (Discount applies to CE regular adult Summer Session 1 and 2 classes and workshops only. Summer Studio/Critique Program or other studio rental programs, certificate registration, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.)
Explore both the versatility of watercolor and the exciting possibilities of color through still life painting. Learn to capture form with the freshness and fluidity of all prima techniques. Promote color in your work through instruction on color properties, mixing, and basic theory, as well as how to use hues in combination to create impactful compositions. Discussions and in-depth demonstrations will enforce all content so that students gain the facility and freedom to use color and painting techniques as means of personal expression. This course is excellent for beginners or anyone who loves color and loose, painterly techniques in watercolor.
Register by: July 1
Materials List
Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
Comprehensive Portrait Sculpture (In-Person)
with Morgan Dummitt

Wednesdays, 9 a.m. - 4p.m.
Instructor: Morgan Dummitt
Six-Week Condensed Course (36 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit or 1.0 Undergraduate Credit (See Below)
Register by April 21 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDSUMMER2025 at checkout (and click “+” to add the discount). PAFA members at the Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. (Discount applies to CE regular adult Summer Session 1 and 2 classes and workshops only. Summer Studio/Critique Program or other studio rental programs, certificate registration, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.)
Modeling the portrait in clay is a foundational skill of traditional sculpture. Working from a model, learn to create a portrait from composition to completed sculpture. Instruction for this uniquely comprehensive course will encompass learning to build an armature, modeling the form in clay, and casting in plaster to preserve the finished artwork. Topics of study will include proportion, composition, structure, and simplified sculptural form.
This class consists of six meetings, which will be divided as follows:
Week 1: Armature Construction/Demo/Modeling
Weeks 2 - 4: Clay Modeling
Weeks 5 - 6: Plaster Casting
Student Learning Outcomes
- Gain a basic understanding of the osteology, myology, and morphology of the head
- Analyze and organize the various forms of the head and neck into simplified sculptural forms
- Understand various techniques for creating a “likeness” of the sitter
- Carry out best practices for modeling and maintaining water-based clay sculpture
- Understand and execute basic plaster casting techniques
Note: Course tuition includes a $50 model fee.
Optional: This course is available for 1.0 undergraduate credit for $745 (including models fee). Select credit option with price adjustment when registering.
Register by: July 2
Materials List
Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies
Precision Pencil Drawing (In-Person)
with Frederic Kaplan

Wednesdays, 1 – 4 p.m.
Instructor: Frederic Kaplan
Six-Week Short Course (18 Hours)
Credit: Non-Credit Only
Register by April 21 for a 10% Early Bird Discount! Enter promo code EARLYBIRDSUMMER2025 at checkout (and click “+” to add the discount). PAFA members at the Friend level and above receive an additional 10% off. (Discount applies to CE regular adult Summer Session 1 and 2 classes and workshops only. Summer Studio/Critique Program or other studio rental programs, certificate registration, gift certificates, membership purchases, and lockers are ineligible.)
The simple pencil is an economical medium readily accessible to students at all levels, including beginners. It can produce drawings that range from poetic delicacy to energetic and bold expressiveness. Working from still life arrangements, interiors, window views, and PAFA’s cast collection, students will explore a variety of approaches for using pencil to shade and model form convincingly and with beauty. Instruction will review basic drawing principles and observational skills such as evaluating shape, gauging proportions, and employing perspective effects like foreshortening. Previous drawing experience is recommended but not required.
Register by: July 2
Materials List
Summer 2025 CE Policy Guide, including withdrawal/refund policies